Thousands gathered Monday night in Tel Aviv for a rally calling to stop the war, and make peace, led by dozens of organizations. Speakers included families of fallen soldiers and of hostages held by Hamas as well as peace activists Ghadir Hani and Maoz Inon.
Renowned Israeli historian, Professor Yuval Noah Harari gave a keynote address.
"We can argue about when exactly the Jewish people and the Palestinian people were created, but what is really important, is that now both exist here," said Harari.
"Unfortunately, too many of us refuse to recognize the oh-so-simple fact that there is a Jewish people and a Palestinian people here, both of whom have a deep historical and spiritual connection to the land and the right to exist on it," he said.
"Each side is afraid that the other side is trying to make them disappear - and both sides are right," said Harari, saying that fears that Palestinians want to eliminate Jews and fears that Jews want to eliminate Palestinians are justified.
"It isn't paranoia - it is normal reality testing," he explained.
Harari went on to say that there is enough room for both peoples. "We are suffering not from a narrowness of land, but from a narrowness of the spirit," he said.
Right to security
Each side must recognize the existence of the other, said Harari. "It doesn't matter how right we are," he said, speaking for both sides, "it doesn't matter what they did to us - they are still part of reality and they have the right to live in security and respect in the country of their birth."
"It is never too late to fix things," he concluded. "War is not a law of nature, it is a human choice. Every moment we can choose differently and start making peace."
"All wars have led us to the abyss. It is time to give peace another chance," he concluded.
The event was a joint project of a number of well-known Israeli nonprofits and NGOs including Women Wage Peace, Standing Together, Peace Now, Rabbis for Human Rights, Breaking the Silence, and The Anti-Occupation Bloc. The New Israel Fund and Shatil were also partners in the event.